MY SISTER’S CLOSET SPREADING LOCALLY

Consignment boutique to open second store next month in Encinitas

Two upscale consignment shops with a cult following are opening in Encinitas in October.

My Sister’s Closet and its sibling store for men, Well Suited, will begin accepting recycled designer consignments today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 146 N. El Camino Real, and are set to open at an undetermined date late next month. The stores allow snappy dressers to turn their wardrobes into cash and shop couture styles for up to 90 percent off. Bargain hunters can obtain Ann Klein shoes for $12.50, or designer jeans for as little as $13.50.

The Phoenix-based consignment company, Eco-Chic, takes pride in the boutique-like feel of its shops, which owners Ann, Tess and Jenny describe as “cute, clean and current” — a departure from the dark, dingy feel of many consignment shops. It also distinguishes itself with convenient hours seven days a week.

It was established 20 years ago, built a loyal following in Phoenix and is expanding as frugal recession survivors seek name brands for less. In 2011, its revenue hit $20 million after four straight years of 20 percent growth, and it made the Inc. 5000 list of the country’s fastest-growing businesses. CEO Ann Stiner told U-T San Diego last year that she had plans to expand in San Diego “as fast as possible.”

The Encinitas My Sister’s Closet will be the second in San Diego and California, following the January 2012 debut of a 9,600-square-foot shop at Costa Verde on Genesee Avenue, west of Westfield UTC. The new Well Suited section will replace the men’s store at Costa Verde, although the My Sister’s Closet at that location will continue accepting men’s consignments.